Magicians
|build_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |ranged = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Ranged Attack x4 Missile Immunity Fireball Spell }} Magicians is the name of a Normal Unit Archetype. It is a template defining the baseline attributes and abilities of 5 Normal Units, all of which are called "Magicians". Each of these units is a variant of the basic Magicians archetype, and is produced by a different Race. The archetype is discussed in this article, and each variant has its own, separate page. Magicians may be built by the High Elves, High Men, Orcs, Beastmen, and Draconians. Other races have no access to Magicians by default, though the Dark Elves can produce an even better unit called Warlocks. Magicians are very powerful (and very expensive) Ranged Attack units. They are somewhat fragile, but will likely have no trouble staying alive as long as they keep their distance from the enemy. When appropriate, Magicians can cast the Fireball spell to destroy enemy . Description Magic users come in many flavors. Wizards are the most powerful, having spent decades and maybe even centuries perfecting their abilities - but everyone has to start somewhere. The principles of magic-use are complex, but can be mastered even by those who do not have a supernatural aptitude. Thus, it is possible to train bright-but-ordinary men to use magic as a purely offensive force, within a relatively short time-frame. Magicians excel in ranged combat, hurling bolts of energy at their opponents from a long distance away. By picking targets correctly, a group of Magicians can turn the tide of any battle. Unfortunately, since armor and weapons hinder the use of magic, these troops lack the strength and protection to enter close combat - and are too expensive to risk in haphazard battles. Baseline Properties The following section describe only the "baseline" properties of the Magicians archetype. Most of the actual units produced will have innate racial bonuses that deviate from this baseline template. Read the section on racial variants below for more information. Attributes and Abilities To produce Magicians, a town must have a Wizards' Guild. This means that Magicians will only begin to appear near the middle of the campaign. The baseline production cost is per unit, making them some of the more expensive standard units in the game. Once under your employ, a unit of Magicians requires an Upkeep Cost of and each turn. A unit of Magicians contains by default. It may never have more than 4 figures. This low figure count puts them at risk of being quickly annihilated by any strong attack. Each Magician lost reduces the unit's damage output by 25%, so it is important to keep this unit healthy if possible. Magicians have a very weak Melee Attack, and rely primarily on their which they can use up to 4 times in each battle. The attack has a strength of per Magician, for an average damage output of . Since this is a magical ranged attack, it does not suffer any distance penalties, and is as effective across the entire battlefield as it is up-close. Magicians have middling defensive properties, with a Defense score of by default and only per figure. This makes them somewhat fragile, especially if sent into Melee combat. However, Magicians possess Missile Immunity, which protects them from enemy . Furthermore, they have a very high , which makes it hard for the enemy to harm them with ill effects. Magicians may use the Fireball Spell ability once per battle, to cast a basic-strength Fireball at any target enemy unit. This spell is particularly powerful against , as its overall strength is relative to the number of in the target. Basic Tactics Magicians make excellent Ranged Attack units, giving good support to an army by taking out a few opponents before they can reach your lines. Magicians will generally start the battle by immediately attacking appropriate targets - usually the enemy Ranged Attackers. Magicians do not need to advance before using their Ranged Attack - it is equally powerful at any distance. Magicians have no fear from enemy troops, but will die very quickly if targeted by other types of Ranged Attacks, direct-damage spells and/or Melee Attacks. Expect casualties when confronting enemy Wizards' armies. Do not send Magicians into Melee combat, as they will quickly get slaughtered. Always be on the lookout for a good target for the Magicians' Fireball spell. Generally speaking, Fireball can take out most or all of an enemy , particularly low-tier Normal Units, so this would be your first priority. Fireball can potentially affect , but will rarely cause more than a few points of to such targets. Variants Only 5 different Races have access to their own Magicians units. Each Race produces a different type of Magicians unit, which not only looks different but may also have different properties compared to the "baseline" template described above. List of Variants High Elf Magicians :High Elf Magicians have an edge over other Magicians in several ways. Probably the most important one is that High Elf Magicians have a Movement Allowance of , which allows them to deftly evade enemy Melee Attackers quite easily. This also means that they benefit from their own innate Forester ability, which allows them to enter any Forest tile at a cost of only 1 Movement Point. Thus, if ample Forests are present, High Elf Magicians can move two tiles per turn through them. :Furthermore, High Elf Magicians have an innate bonus, which increases the average damage output of their attacks by about by default - a seemingly small but overall quite effective increase. Also, they possess , the minimum score required to gain immunity to some ill effects. :The price paid for these bonuses is a 50% higher construction cost, and an Upkeep Cost increased to per turn. Thus, High Elf Magicians are expensive, but are also quite useful. High Men Magicians :High Men Magicians are identical to the Magicians Baseline Template, except for one important difference: the unit contains instead of 4. This effectively translates to a 50% higher damage output during combat, and also means that a High Men Magicians unit can take more effort to destroy. Orc Magicians :Identical to baseline template (see above). Beastmen Magicians :Beastmen Magicians are somewhat more suitable for combat than other Magicians, though not by a very wide margin. Most importantly, they have per figure, which makes them harder to kill. A bonus also makes them less vulnerable to enemy ill effects. :Beastmen get a bonus, but don't be tempted to send Beastmen Magicians into Melee combat with any but the weakest enemy units - they are just too expensive to waste, and are not nearly sturdy enough for any serious hand-to-hand fight. :Beastmen Magicians are 50% more expensive to produce than baseline Magicians. They also have a higher Upkeep Cost. Draconian Magicians :The Draconian Magicians' primary advantage is that they are creatures. This makes it impossible for more enemy units to attack them, and as stated earlier Magicians are already immune to . Even if the enemy is capable of attacking Flying creatures, the Draconian Magicians shouldn't have too much trouble evading the attack. :Furthermore, Draconian Magicians enjoy a bonus and significant bonus, both of which can be very helpful in averting harm when they are attacked. Both are of particular importance to a "support" unit like Magicians, which will generally be targeted by enemy spells. Again, this does not make Draconian Magicians suitable for Melee combat, but they may survive a little longer if it is forced upon them. :Draconian Magicians are 50% more expensive to produce than baseline Magicians. They also have a higher Upkeep Cost. Category:Normal Units Category:Normal Unit Archetypes Category:Magicians